Motif Travel Holidays

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Travelling is one the most favourite hobbies and loved by many of us new places, new people often turn out to be great experiences and when you travel with an open mind it becomes even more unique as you

have opened your mind to absorb almost anything and everything the new destination and friends too

India -this enormous country with marvelous culture. A culture of the life and the love. Learn it to love. Age-old and modern India has got fascinating civilizations, which are so different, like its geographical extremes. Here each traveler dips into such experience worlds: mirror-image-ritually, adventurously, historically, religiously, natively, multicolored, simply, poor, in addition, magnificently. Worlds, which address all in this enormous, far country your senses.

Regions

India is administratively divided into 28 states and 7 union territories.
The states are broadly demarcated on linguistic lines. They vary in
size; the larger ones are bigger and more diverse than some countries of
Europe. The union territories are smaller than the states—sometimes they are just one city—and they have much less autonomy.
These states and union territories are grouped by convention into the following regions:

Map of India's regions and states

Himalayan North (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand)Mountainous
and beautiful, a tourist destination for the adventurous and the
spiritual. This region contains some of India's most visited
hill-stations and religious places. Includes the exquisitely scenic
states.

The Plains (Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh)The
country's capital Delhi is here. The rivers Ganga and Yamuna flow
through this plain. Many of the events that shaped India's history took
place in this region.

Western India (Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan)Miles
and miles of the Thar Desert. Home to the colorful palaces, forts and
cities of Rajasthan, the country's most vibrant and biggest city Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), wonderful beaches and pristine forests of Goa and Bollywood.

Southern India (Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu)South
India features famous and historical temples, tropical forests,
backwaters, beaches hill stations, and the vibrant cities of Bangalore, Kochi, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The island groups of Andaman & Nicobar (on the east) and
Lakshadweep on the west are included in this region for convenience, but
they are far from the mainland and have their own unique
characteristics.

Eastern India (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Sikkim, West Bengal)Economically less developed, but culturally rich and perhaps the most welcoming of outsiders. Features Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), once the capital of British India, and the temple cities of Puri, Bhubaneswar and Konark.
Geographically it stretches from the mountains to the coast, resulting
in fascinating variations in climate. It is also the mineral storehouse
of India, having the country's largest and richest mines.

North-Eastern India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura)insular
and relatively virgin, the country's tribal corner, with lush,
beautiful landscapes, endemic flora and fauna of the Indo-Malayan group
and famous for Tea Gardens. Consists of seven tiny states (by
Indian standards, some of them are larger than Switzerland or Austria)
popularly nicknamed as the Seven Sisters.

Cities

Below is a selection of ten of India's most notable cities. Other cities can be found under their specific regions.

Delhi — the capital of India and the heart of Northern India.

Bangalore
— The garden city, once the sleepy home of pensioners now transformed
into Silicon city with alot of software companies establishing their
offices in the city.

Hyderabad — The City of Pearls.

Chennai
(formerly Madras) — main port in Southern India, cradle of Carnatic
Music and Bharatanatyam, home of the famous Marina beach, Automobile
Capital of India and a fast emerging IT hub.

Jaipur — the Pink City is a major exhibit of the Hindu Rajput culture of medieval Northern India.

Kochi
(formerly Cochin) — the Queen of Arabian Sea, historically, a centre
of international trade, now the gateway to the sandy beaches and backwaters.

Kolkata
(formerly Calcutta) — the cultural capital of India, Kolkata is home to
numerous colonial buildings. It is known as The City of Joy.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Explored all the meaning and excitement that Israel has to offer with Israel Experience Taglit-2015 ...My Birthright Israel

Feel the passion.
Feel the excitement.
Feel history rush by and feel inspired.

Hike along beautiful trails.
Explore all the sites and attractions.
Meet incredible people and engage
with Israeli society and culture.
Discover Israel’s hi-tech wonders
and make new friends for life.
It’s all happening right here in Israel!

Welcome to Israel 4:15 AM - Arrived in Israel at Ben-Gurion Airport

Breakfast and Orientation Session at the airport

Drive to the north Hike- the Pisgah Trail in the Meron hills in the north of Israel

Welcome the Galilee-Mystery & Mysticism

Ancient city of Safed- located in the Upper Galilee of Northern Israel. Safed is the center of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism.

Walk through the cobbled streets visit ancient synagogues, pass through the artists’ quarters

Shabbat at the Kibbutz Afikim

Dinner at the Kibbutz

Evan & Cheryl

Back to the origins

We left India June 4, 2015 among hustle and bustle of our families and friends that came to bid adieu to us, the ORT Taglit 2015 Group. and e boarded the 11.00 pm EL AL flight LY72. After a considerably long flight of approximately 8 hours we reached the Promised Land @ 4.00 am local time. We were greeted by Ms. Green Moore upon clearing the customs who took care of some necessary statutory requirements. After collecting the baggage we exited the airport to be greeted by a welcoming party made of our families in Israel. After a quick orientation by Ms Green More, where she introduced our Israeli Madrik Doron, we were allotted 40 minutes to interact with our families.

After wrapping up meet and greet, we sat in our designated Taglit Bus and headed up north. After a short breakfast at a petrol station, we headed to Mount Meron, the second highest mountain in Israel. We conducted our opening prayers and hiked a couple of kilometers to witness few beautiful views of northern Israel from atop the Meron, both led by Doron. After this we headed to Zefat, one of four major religious cities in Israel and one with most kabbalistic significance. Post a scrumptious lunch of Falafels, Shwarma and Schnitzel, we toured this religious city under the direction of Doron. He showed us The Messiah Street and explained its importance. We also learned other stuff like importance of minyan and significance of color blue being painted on doors.

Wrapping up, we headed to our first place of stay Kibbutz Afkim. After some rest we got to attend Friday Night Prayers at a local Synagogue within the kibbutz.

Post prayers we had the dinner at community hall and wrapped up the day with a heartfelt reflections session.

We left India June 4, 2015 among hustle and bustle of our families and friends that came to bid adieu to us, the ORT Taglit 2015 Group . and e boarded the 11.00 pm EL AL flight LY72. After a considerably long flight of approximately 8 hours we reached the Promised Land @ 4.00 am local time. We were greeted by Ms. Green Moore upon clearing the customs who took care of some necessary statutory requirements. After collecting the baggage we exited the airport to be greeted by a welcoming party made of our families in Israel. After a quick orientation by Ms Green More, where she introduced our Israeli Madrik Doron, we were allotted 40 minutes to interact with our families.

After wrapping up meet and greet, we sat in our designated Taglit Bus and headed up north. After a short breakfast at a petrol station, we headed to Mount Meron, the second highest mountain in Israel. We conducted our opening prayers and hiked a couple of kilometers to witness few beautiful views of northern Israel from atop the Meron, both led by Doron. After this we headed to Zefat, one of four major religious cities in Israel and one with most kabbalistic significance. Post a scrumptious lunch of Falafels, Shwarma and Schnitzel, we toured this religious city under the direction of Doron. He showed us The Messiah Street and explained its importance. We also learned other stuff like importance of minyan and significance of color blue being painted on doors.

Wrapping up, we headed to our first place of stay Kibbutz Afkim. After some rest we got to attend Friday Night Prayers at a local Synagogue within the kibbutz.

Post prayers we had the dinner at community hall and wrapped up the day with a heartfelt reflections session.

The word Taglit' means discovery, and that's exactly what 22 participants from India left for, on the 4th of June, 2015, to discover the beautiful land of Israel.

After a long 8 hour flight from Mumbai, we finally arrived at the Tel Aviv airport and had an opening ceremony with Ms. Green More,the tour coordinator and our guide for this visit, Doron.

We thought that we would be too

tired to do anything, but on entering Israel, we were surprisingly re energized and moved on to visit mount Meron.

The Meron trail overlooks the Mediterranean shores on the west,the Golan heights and it's volcanic peaks in the east, the entire lower galilee on the south and upper galilee and southern Lebanon on the north.

Next on the list was the ancient city Safed- located in the Upper Galilee of northern Israel. It's the highest city in Israel, a picturesque city of spiritual people and artists wrapped in mysticism and steeped in sacred atmosphere. The alleyways contains hidden niches and beautiful synagogues whose rich past emanates from the high ceilings,colorful decorations and beautiful artwork.

From there, we moved to our hostel at Kibbutz Afikim, located in a very peaceful and beautiful location. And what better way to end the day by Shabbat at the synagogue and Kabbalat Shabbat.

Imagine a trip that's even more fun than you imagined, a place that's even more beautiful than you could ever think of, that's Israel for you.

Shabbat group experience

Havdalah- ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat

Walking tour in the Afikim Kibbutz-testing some of the kibbutz life in Israel.

Rest and relaxation at Afikim Kibbutz

Poolside at Afikim Kibbutz

Night out in Tiberius

B''H

Day 2.

We started of day 2 with shabbat. The morning was greeted with a full filling breakfast followed by shacharit services in the Beth Keneseth. Attendance for the services was a majority of Indian boys from the Taglit birthright.

Right after the end of services we proceeded to the kiddush outside the beth Keneseth. The second meal of shabbat was as delicious as the first smell of Israel after we landed in the state.

Proceeding the lunch we had a small nap time followed by a quick walk around the Kibbutz. We also took time to spend some time in the pool which was a pretty good idea because that's the time we actually played team games which helped as an active ice breaker.

We started preparing for the end of shabbat after the pool. Minha was prayed in the beth Keneseth and we had a 45 mins shur with the local Rabbi and the locals of kibbutzim I would also like to mention the fact with appreciation about the locals who accepted traditions and customs and were really very supportive. They gave us the chance to read the aliyah and lift the Safer-Torah. The shammash also gave the Taglit participations a mishbaracha for the safety of the trip and lots of fun.

Coming back to the trip after the arvit we did the havdala and got on the bus for our experience at Tiberia. We had an amazing dinner followed by ice cream. We also checked out the local lifestyle of the fashion street in tzfat.

We. concluded a good and long second day with an amazing overview from our local and international madrichs and returned to our rooms for bed with only excitement and curiosity for the next day.

Steeve.

Day 2

Today was shabbat day. I woke up late boys had already went to prayers breakfast was already done. It was too hot out. We made new friends . We ate chips and had a talk. We get to know each other. We had talks about synagogues in India and Israel also we had a talk about difference between our Indian tradition and Israeli culture.

At noon we went to pool. We took selfie and clicked photo's . We went in water and played games. We did prayers in synagogue here. Then we went for shopping and had pizza with friends. We buyed things I got star of David locket for 20sgekal each.

We were tired and we went to the bus.

We reached room and put alarms I wrote note and went to sleep.

It was really a great day in Israel today

Thank God.

Esther

Day 3

Sunday June 7th

Water, Security and Borders - The Golan Heights

Outdoor training workshop- an experience of challenge and fun

Bental Observation Point – Overlook to the entire region, and into Syria. Here we

addressed the history of the Golan and the issues revolving around its current

state

Hike- Banias Nature Reserve located in the Golan. Natural and historical beauty,from the ruins of ancient cities to the roaring Banias Waterfall – the biggest waterfall in Israel

Israeli cinema workshop with guest speaker Ayelet Kauffman

Day 3:

The breakfast was at 7am and from there we left for an hike in goldan heights by an hrs drive in the bus! Its close to the lebenon and syria border.

It was with syria first and then there was a 6 day war and Israelis got the golden heights!

The golden heights is made of lava from the volcanic mountains in north and the northern side is higher than the southern cause the lava seeps down.

Follwed by an hike to the temple of pan: were the christians started originated from. The place was started to worship the god named pan.

The greek god which looked like half goat and half man! Then we had a drive to takula valley and from there we went to mount pental! Which was 800 ft

At last we went to kefar hasidim where Ort youth hostel was present were we did an activity with photography and 3d and zooming. Later we went back to the kibutz and had our last session with ayelet where v saw movies relating to the jewish life. This was the last activity of the day

Shamir

7-6-2015

On day 3 we had breakfast at 7am and left for an hike in golan heights. Doron told us the story of the lebenon and syria war that lasted for your days. After which Israelis won the golen

Then we went for a hike to the temple of pan. The place was started to worship the god named pan.

Pan was a greek god which looked like half goat and half man!

Then we had a drive to takula valley and from there we went to mount pental! Which was 800 ft

At last we went to kefar hasidim at the Ort youth hostel where we had a workshop on photography and 3d and zooming. This was the last activity of the day

We went back to the kibbutz. . And had a session with Ayeletz. She showed us clips of few isralie movies witch conveyed some meaning. .

1) Late marriage : in this movie the girl is older than the man and the parents are against it. It shows the gap win is created between the parents and the son.

2) The Syrian bride : in this movie the bride is from Israel and she marries a guy from Syria whom she nvr met and wen she is moving between the borders there she faces problems in clearance so she gets stuck between the two borders. it later ends up as an happy ending after 3) Walking on water : This movie had 3 soldiers why are in Lebanon N fighting for our country without letting their parents know where they are! So that they are relaxed!

4) Beaufort : the story tells us the depth of the damage the Holocaust had done to both isralies and Germans. .

Steffie

Monday June 8th Tikkun Olam (Repairing the world)

Drive to the south

Stalactite caves- visit one the special places in Israel, walking underground inside the caves and watching the stalactites with the artificial light.

By 7-30 we left by bus for zikron arkov cemetery where we visited all the cemeteries especially grave of Aaron aronson. Then we had lunch and headed for work ort you University. We learned dna testing, planetarium, spice painting and loof interesting facts about it. Had some snacks along with it

We had a 3 hr drive directly to bedouin tent at the desert. We did Camel ride which was a great experience. After that we had our dinner around 730 and we had a bonfire..we dance, played songs.we had a great day and night well spent and all of us went to sleep.

Ascent to Masada -Climb the majestic mountain in the Dead Sea Valley which is

known for its magnificent views and fascinating story; tour the site and learn of

Herod who built the fortress and the rebels who lived there, and died there.

Nachal David- Hike- Nachal David Nature Reserve- an oasis in the desert located

near the Dead Sea. Enjoy the different waterfalls and the water springs that the nature has to offer

Floating in the dead sea

Day 5 began with a wake up call at 3.45 in the morning. We had an enduring trek to Masada, a UNESCO world heritage site. Located in the Judean desert, this castle was built by King Herod, who wanted to please the Roman emperor. Doron, our tour guide went about explaining the myth behind Masada and the suicidal act of 960 Jews. He further elaborated on the prophecy of Bones and the rise of the Jews consequently. After independence, archaeologists found a 2000 year old synagogue filled with holy books. After an hour long descent, we had breakfast at a youth hostel below. We then went to a waterfall, which wore off the fatigue. The major highlight of the day was the Dead Sea, with participants forming a water chain in the sea, and also pictures being taken of the participants FLOATING. Lunch ensued with a 2 hour drive to the cultural hub of Tel Aviv. We checked into the Sea Net hotel, with an activity in the night. We conquered Masada and floated in the Dead Sea, ticking off many bucket lists.

Shlomo

DaY 5

Today 9 th June was an awesome day for me. We woke up in the tent at early 3am

Then after we went to bus at masada.

We climbed a mountain which is in the dead sea valley. We had wonderful looks there.

Then we had a lovely breakfast at the masada youth hostel and it was really amazing.

Then we went to the bus back and went to dead sea.We. Were floating on dead sea

It gave really a nice experience. I did it first time in my life it was a really great experience I have ever did in my life.Then at 5pm we drive to tel avik and had rest. This experience of taglit birthright Israel made me feel very nice. Thank GOD I visited Israel and had such a wonderful experience.

"You dear people with a heart of gold I'm so glad I met amazing people like you had a really, really fun to be with you Although it is not enough but enough to recognize and know who you really love and miss a lot !!" Yaniv

Wednesday June 10th

– Mifgash and Taglit Tel Aviv day

Ice breakers with our Israeli participants

Pictured here with Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt at our Tel Aviv Urban Experience. Independence Hall- The modest Tel-Aviv home that became the site of theDeclaration of Independence, announcing the establishment of the State of Israel,

in May 1948

at the Carmel Market

 Tel Aviv Festival day- experiencing the city throughout here history through her

And it's the 6th day of this amazing trip. Half way through it and by now everything and everyone feels like Home..We just didn't want to sleep the previous night coz sleeping meant waking up and waking up meant one day closer to the trip getting over.. Sigh!!

It was our first day at Tel Aviv!!! You can imagine how excited we are?? Well, its a lot more than that!

One major reason for our excitement were the Israeli military peeps who were supposed to join us! They are gonna stay with us for the next five days!! Which sounds pretty amazing in itself!! So after breakfast we boarded the bus and went straight to meet them! Samuel, Tomer, Yaniv, Gilad, Neta and Nofar were our new friends since then!

After the ice breaker and getting to know each other session we visited the Independence Hall. It's the modest Tel-aviv Home that became the site of the Declaration of Independence, announcing the establishment of the State of Israel, in May 1948.

It was the TelAviv festival so we were taken to experience the city through the neighbourhood, theatre, fashion, culinary, street art, Israeli movies and Hi-Tec.

It was followed by a Theatre show and a dance session.

Throughout the day we've been excited for the night! Waiting for the Rock band concert which was supposedly a mini mega event for all the Taglit groups across the World.All Taglitians wore their Taglit tee shirt, caps and wrist bands.. It was extremely emotional and crazy to see soo many Jews together. There were food stalls, educational stalls, internship as well as social service stalls..

After a look here and there, the Event finally begun..Israeli band 'Hadag Nachash' killed the night with their performance and all of us enjoyed Dancing with everybody around. Oh and how can I forget to mention... Our Indian boys started the Simchat Torah songs and dance after the concert ended. They kept waving the Indian flag throughout the performance. All others were so delighted to see that Jews from India are there along with them. It was extremely a crazy sight to see them show soo much Love and Support.

By the time we reached the Hotel, we were all tired and exhausted. So we all ended up hitting the bed without wasting any time so we could make on time for breakfast the next day!!

Day 6

Shifron

Wow what a day! We have completed Day 6 and it was amazing, it was very tiring but at the same time I never wanted it to end,

Today I knew that we will be seeing the city of Tel Aviv the youngest city of The land of Israel and not to mention today was the day when IDF were going to join us I was very excited to see them.

The day started as usual we had breakfast and then we were off on the bus to the place to meet the IDF group who were going to join us for rest of the day, we reached the place where they were waiting and see them it looked like they were also equally excited.

We were taken in a room where our guide Doron, helped us to break the ice with the IDF Soldiers.

What he did was that he created a group of 4-5 people and then had them speak with each one of the five soldiers with a great idea of asking “What food you liked in Israel?” it was a good idea because I was bit nervous task to speak to them and I guess it was same for them to speak with us.

We met Gilad who is from the intelligence department, and also looked like smart guy as well,

Then we met Tomer, who was from armoured division, he told us about tanks and how it requires 6 people to drive also needs at-least eight months of training which was really cool, then we met Netha, she is in education division and was sweet to talk to. She wants to travel world after the service was completed like China or India, Then we met Samuel, who took Aliya and joined IDF, he is para trooper and he was from India, then we met Nofar who is in Signal division, she is also sweet to talk too, She just has few months remaining on her army service and is thinking of travelling the world, and then joined the sixth IDF soldier Yanev who is in Navy, what is interesting is that Tomar Samuel and Yanev can speak and understand Marathi

After meeting them we all along with the six IDF soldier we all left that place and were on our way to Independence hall, I got the know about the history and how Israel got its Independence from British rule at 14th may 1948. It was amazing to listen and see the short film on the same. We also saw the place where the Independence was declared by David Ben-Gurion and it was really cool.

Then we were on our way to Habima, where we saw the live comedy show performed by Tziporela’s Odd Bird. It was quite fun, they also showed some if the techniques and they were interesting.

After some laughs we headed towards the place called Suzanne dellal center.

When we arrived there, there was a great performance from the dancers over there, and when they called for volunteers two people from my group went and they danced, people including me were amazed by the dance.

We were then taken the room and they taught us some steps, it was nice since I can’t dance now I got some moves and ideas on dance.

After such a long day we were walking around the city streets and I saw the culture of the city and it was great! We then reached a place where I come to know about the how the young people follow their dreams and how supportive the city can be when you are ready to do everything to follow that dream, there were two people from the new company called spaceil and their mission is to create the spaceship that and reach moon travel a little on moon and do a magnetic field scan of moon, photos and videos of the moon. It was amazing to hear that company was just started few years back by 3-6 people and now are having great sponsors and have 45 people working there.

Then we were on our way to bus which took us to the place where there was mini event called TLV Urban Experience concert, it was really cool to know that it was a 15 years celebration of The program “Taglit-Birthright” and is also celebrating 500000 participants,

A girl name molly was 500000th participant and had a really great story about how she got to know a year back that she is Jew, the Show was then followed by the person who are there in 1st taglit – birthright followed by the speech and then a rocking concert and great food,

I tried potato pocket and it was awesome.

We are now back at the hotel exhausted and tried, and my roommates are drooling and snoring.

It was really a great Day and an amazing experience, I was glad and fortunate to experience all this, wow what a day!

Myer Shalom to all.

6th was a great experience at the ORT school.

Ms. Deborah Dwek-Donor Relations, welcomed us. There was another professor of physics Mr Oren who along with the school children did some experiments with electronic microscopes. We were served light refreshments. We met some students from Bnei Menashe as well.

After that we came back to our kibbutz where after dinner we had Ms. Ayelet Cohen who is a documentary film maker. Who showed us some short israeli films and we had dicussions and comparisons with our films.

Yesterday 7th june, we checked out early. So loaded our bags on the bus, had breakfast and left for the city of Zichron Yacov. One of the early settlements and the city of Espionage.

After that we drove down south to Dimona to see another Kadima Mada school. This was even more interesting.

Here we were made into 3 groups, were we learnt about DNA testing, Astronomy and space pollution and 3rd colouring and Painting with spices and herbs.

We all just went bonkers. Here we were greeted by Ms. Sherrie Gazit head of Kadima Mada israel.

On both the occasions we were given a brifing about there activities and i had to speak about ORT india. Taglith group from india and jews in India. After lunch we were taken to a Bedouin settlelement were we all went for a camel ride followed by interaction and hospitality of the bedouins followed by dinner in a massive tent. Bedouin style.

After bonfire we had to sleep early for getting up early, going to Masada.(Everyone stayed in 2 massive tents. Separate for boys and girls) Trekking up and watching the mafnificent sunrise from there.

After that we had a one hour tour of the top then we climbed down.

Then breakfast

Then the En Gedi waterfall and finally swimming at the Dead Sea.

Now we are in a hotel in Tel Aviv. Going for dinner followedby an activity preparing to welcome 6 israeli soldiers who will join us from tomorrow for the rest of the tour.

Myer

Thursday June 11th

Tel Aviv-The First Hebrew City

Visit The Yitzchak Rabin center- learn about the peace process of Israel, the conflicts

and difficulties through the life of Rabin, one of the prime instars of Israel.

"I didn't find out that I was Jewish until very recently. I had been raised Methodist, attending a Methodist congregation with my parents since I was a child. After my parents passed away, one of their friends informed me that my mother and and grandmother were, in fact, Jewish! Needless to say, I was a bit shocked, having no previous knowledge of this rather large bit of family history.

As I continued to discover my roots, I fell in love with Judaism. I began studying Torah once a week, celebrating holidays, and engaging with the local community. Taking a trip with Taglit-Birthright Israel was an obvious next step, and I'm so excited to take part in the experience. While I still consider myself a baby-Jew, I have a feeling this trip will be one more step in the direction of understanding my Jewish identity."

at the Jaffa flea market

Tour of Jaffa-Israel's oldest port city and our gateway into the next ten days.

Explored the first neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, the stories of the pioneers that built

them, the visionaries that saw beyond the sand dunes and the conviction that this

will soon become the celebration of Jewish independence that it is today.

Drive to Jerusalem

Overlook on the old city of Jerusalem and walking tour from the first new

neighborhood of Jerusalem- Yemin Moshe

Myer :

Shabbat Shalom.

Wednesday 10th june in Tel Aviv, after breakfast we left on our bus to meet the 6 israeli soldiers who were to join us for the rest of the tour.

They are 4 boys and 2 girls. 3 boys are indian and one of them was a taglit participant 3 years back and made aliyah year and a half back.

There was a small session where our kids were divided into 6 groups and each group got a chance to interact with these Israeli soldiers.

After this we all left for the Israeli Hall of independence where the Israeli independence was declared by David Ben Gurion.

This house belonged to Mr Dizengoff the first mayor of Tel Aviv. The tour of this place ended with Hatikva.

We returned to our hotel for lunch.

After lunch we were at The Habima a big drama theatre built by Charles brofman. Here we were entertained by a comedy troupe and some participation by the youngsters. Our kids were there as well.

Then we went to The Susan Dallal centre were a group of dancers entertained us (Elanit and Shamir also danced with them and were great). They also did an hours workshop with our group. When i mention our group the 6 IDF soldiers are also there.

Meantime Esther Pingleys family arrives.(We were communicating and guiding them since morning from Gan Yavne to Tel Aviv to hotel to susan dallal centre) and we hand her over. Eddna,Doron our madrich and me get them a cab and they left for the TLV bus station.

In these 2 places there are also groups from America.

After the show we all are treated to an ice cream .

Now just our group proceeds to a underground pub were we are introduced to 2 startup youngsters who are working on a competition by Google to send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon.

it was a good interaction and they mentioned that India is also participating and spoke about indias successful Mission to mars.

After this we came back to a big road divided were even the americans were present were treated to a Falafel. Food is unlimited.

Next to the concert. It was an open theatre with seats cum lawns.

There were food stalls. Stalls from various universities and social organisations in Israel.

The rock concert started with the 500,000 participant and then inviting Charles Brofman and Mr Michael, the two philanthropist on the stage. This is the 15th year.

It all started with the compere welcoming India first. It was a rousing welcome and our Flag was very prominent.

Then coming back to the rock show by an israeli group they made everybody dance but the actual rock stars were the indian group. Ultimately the Americans were taking turns in holding and waving our flags.

It was great. We retuned to our hotel by midnight.

Next day Thursday 11th june after breakfast we were taken to the Yitzhak Rabin centre. Where his life history is depicted.

Later on we proceeded to Yafo/Jaffa city. Where we had a beautiful view of the sea and some sites of this quaint town.

Here we visited the flea market.

We were supposed to have lunch but we were invited to one of the IDF soldiers house for lunch were they served us Indian food. His parents are Grace and Johny wakrulkar from Alibaug and Johnys mother Shanta aunty was also there.

The president of the Ramle SynagogueMr Yosef Reuben also came over to greet our group. Our kids were longing for this. Yanivs mother also gave us Jalebi,Bundiche Ladoo and Farsan to eat and takeaway .

This was in Ramle. So from Jaffa to Ramle and now onwards to Jerusalem.

On the way we were all hit by the sudden slowing down of traffic and eddna was hit badly.

Then as we entered Jerusalem we were taken to a vantage point which is located in the first settlement outside the old city. Initiated by Sir Montefiore.

Then we checked into our hotel. After dinner we had a session on Recap and preperation of Yad Vashem the next day.

Indian Hospitality at Yaniv's the IDF Residence Special Thanks to Grace Yaniv's Mother "Imma"Toda "Thank You "

Drive to Jerusalem Overlook on the old city of Jerusalem and walking tour from the first new

neighborhood of Jerusalem- Yemin Moshe

Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum – The National Memorial for the Martyrs and

Heroes of the Holocaust is a complex made up of a central museum, repository of

information and numerous memorial sites and monuments.

Shabbat At Hotel Caesar Jerusalem

Day 7 Salome

Summer in India is always the worst and this year mumbai reached to this unbearable point. But still this was my best summer I had. Taglit made it all possible. Thanks to our madrich, we all had an opportunity to share our experiences of a day with everyone.

I had the privilege to share my experience about the 7th day on our trip. We started the day by checking out of our tel aviv hotel by 9.30 . Leaving tel aviv was a bit sad because it is an wonderful place. its the heart of Israel. We started the day with visiting the Yitzchak Rabin center. It was great to be acquainted with the Israeli history and brave story of Yitzchak Rabin.

We then moved on to streets of Jaffa. jaffa takes you back in history. We stopped for lunch at jaffa and also looked around the market. Market of jaffa reminds you of chor bazaar of India.

Later moved on to Yaniv's house in Ramle. His amazing family welcomed us with lots of love and Indian food. It was quite overwhelming as we craved for indian food all day long.

After meeting this wonderful family we completed our journey by reaching Jerusalem and checking in Caesar Hotel.Jerusalem has its own amazing aura that leaves you peaceful and spiritual. It was the last stop of the trip but definitely the best.I am obliged and thankful of taglit for giving me this wonderful opportunity and beautiful experience.

Day 7 Arnon

-Today we got to wake up a little late than always. Then we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel which included various kinds of cheese and other things. Then we had the opportunity to go visit the Yitzhak Rabin center and got to know about the great and loved prime minister of Israel and the sad story of how he was assassinated. Then we we also had to try one of the Israeli delicacy the shakshuka which was absolutely delicious. Later on we went to to Yanivs house for having some simple Indian food. It was amazing that even a simple Indian meal such as Chavli rice and gravy in another country would make us so happy. Then we took pics with his family and left for Jerusalem!!! When we reached we had a small tour around the neighborhood and then checked into hotel Caesar. We had a lovely dinner and rested for the next fun filled day!!

Thursday June 12th

– Jerusalem-Memory & Commemoration and Good Bye



 Tie in session

 Lunch on your own in the Machane Yehuda Market- Explore one of the most

colorful and exciting sites in Jerusalem, often referred to as "The Shuk". The

marketplace is popular with locals and tourists.

 Kabbalat Shabbat at the Western Wall

 Oneg Shabbat Activity

Day 8

Adina &Reuben With lots of enthusiasm and excitement we began our 8thday, our Sabbath day in Jerusalem. With our tour guide, Doron, telling us the entire days’ schedule, our bus starts with us looking forward to a new and meaningful day in the holy land of Israel.

Yes, it is truethat I can run very fast;But it is also truethat I am a Jew...There's no running, from the Holocaust.

The above may just be some verses of a poem, but these lines exactly explain our state of mind of the 8th morning. We were already informed about our visit to Yad Vashem – World Center of Holocaust Research, but the thought of visiting it gave us goosebumps. Passing through the historic alleys of Jerusalem, we reached Yad Vashem.

The Holocaust was maybe the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind, when we saw the abhorrent pictures and learnt about the history of the holocaust survivors, we couldn’t help but wonder how it was allowed to happen. We were looking at the remains, pictures and videos of how the innocent Jewish people witnessed the consequences rising from the push and pull of the ego. We saw the hatred of Nazis towards the Jews, we were witnessing the greatest example of anti-Semitism. It was shocking to see how the “cultured” Europeans could act in a demonic fashion by demeaning the humanity. It bears to reason how fragile is our human morality which can devise imaginary scape goat and find unspeakable solutions to get rid of it.

With this thought and our hearts full of respect and compassion we left Yad Vashem to continue our journey, a journey of realization of a true Jew….

Yerusalem is the child of hope and the home of the brave.

As kabbalah shabbat was entering we all were getting ready to invite Shabbat. This was not just a ordinary Shabbat for us. It was more special as we were going to walk to kotel(western wall) and pray there.

All were ready to invite Shabbat. We had our lunch at 6:30 pm and ready to go walking to kotel(western wall). We were told by our madrick that it will take one hour to reach kotel. But our group was so excited that they cover this distance in half an hour. As we were reaching near to kotel our eyes were told to be close.We all were holding our hands and getting more and more close to kotel and our soldiers were guiding us. After reaching right in front of kotel we all were told to stand in a line holding each others hand. Our heart were beating fast and we were very excited as most of all were going to see kotel for first time in their life. Finally soldiers told us to open our eyes.

After opening our eyes there was wall with big bricks in front of our eyes. We were amazed. Our heart were full of emotions. We when and kissed the wall. There was tears in all of us eyes. There was people looking at our faces figuring out why this people are crying. One of them asked why this people are crying. We replied saying"we are in yerusalem the most holiest place in the world and this is our first time that our soul and body is visiting Jerusalem. They said we are jealous of you people.

After that we prayed arvit near kotel and did kiddush.

Some people standing there enjoying our Indian melody. Finally everything was done and a moment Came where we all need to depart. Our mind, body and soul was not willing to depart but we have to.

I just want to say one word- “Without Jerusalem, the land of Israel is as a body

without a soul.”

Day 9 Saturday June 13th

- Shabbat Group Experience in Jerusalem

Kiddush followed Group activity led by staff

 Rest and relaxation

 Group activity led by your Israeli peers

photos

Havdalah- ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat

Night out in Jerusalemphotos

Day 9 :

Shay :Day 9 was Saturday. That y we didnt have lot activies .On Saturday morning we have some extra time to rest....dats y we all participant woke up late around 9 am.. After breakfast we decided to go to the pool. All participant were having lot of fun in pool. Coz we disnt have pack plans on dat day... All of us followed shabbat.and all of followed very well.After the lunch we went to the israel museum where in the museum they saw a variety of exhibits covering different interest grps like arts ,archaelogy ,history ! The museum was quiet interesting and helped us to increase our knowledge.. Well this activity was optional. Dats y there were not present all the participants.after dat Israeli soldiers had attempted some games fr the participants . The games was awesome. We really enjoyed it.after dat we proceed wid havada.after we went to the market. Nd den we had 2 hours to dinner.and den we went back to the hotel. Nd we had packed our bags to check out...

Day 9 : RocaellThis day all the taglit participants were given a few extra hours for rest . So all the participants woke up late as the morning breakfast was optional . At around 10:30 the participants planned to use the hotel amenities and wanted to go into the pool . All the participants had a gr8 time as they had no travelling to do , no packed plans . All of us planned to follow shabbat and all the participants followed it really sincerely . Aftr having a gr8 tym at the pool the taglit participants had their lunch . The lunch was gr8 . Aftr the lunch the participants were taken to the Israel national museum where in the museum they saw a variety of exhibits covering different interest grps like arts ,archaelogy ,history !The museum was quiet interesting and helped us to increase our knowledge ! As this part of the plan was also optional a few participants decided to stay back ... At evening all the boys and grls were decked up fr the havdala and the night out . Before the havdala the israeli soldiers had arranged small activities fr the boys and grls whch ws quiet amazing .. Aftr whch we proceeded wid the havdala and then went to the jerusalem market fr night out . At the market we spent around 1 hour had our dinner and returned to the hotel .

A group of 22 young Indian Jews visit Israel for their first time during an all-expense paid Taglit-Birthright trip in June.Photo Credit: Tazpit News Agency

One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is home to the majority of India’s Jewish population. Among the 12 million people that make up the city, some 4,000 Jews live in the city.

While many of India’s Jews have immigrated to Israel, the United States, Great Britain, and elsewhere, around 5,000 Jews continue to live in the ancient community, which according to some sources dates back to the time of King Solomon.

A group of 22 young Indian Jews, mostly from the Mumbai area recently visited Israel on a free Taglit-Birthright Israel educational trip for 10 days (June 5-14) to explore the Jewish state and meet with their Israeli peers, some of Indian origin as well.

“It was an amazing trip,” said Adina Tambde, 21, from Mumbai in an interview with Tazpit News Agency. “I didn’t feel like a tourist here; I felt very at home. Israel is very welcoming,” she told Tazpit. “The moment when we first landed was very special.”

Tambde also met her Israeli cousin for her first time during the trip – Tomer, who is an IDF soldier and accompanied the group for some of the visit. “I don’t have Jewish friends back in India,” she said. “Two days before the trip, I found out that I had a cousin that I would meet. Adina’s uncle had made aliyah to Israel years before and Tomer grew up in Holon.

Tambde recently completed her college studies in business in Mumbai and is currently exploring options to pursue her master’s degree in Israel. “In India, people admire you for being Jewish and it’s safe for Jews there,” she says. “But it’s difficult to fully follow Judaism and traditions too.”

It was Adina’s first visit to Israel like the other Indian Jewish participants. The group toured around the country, including Tiberias, Golan Heights, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem,Yad Vashem, and an Indian spice shop in the Ramle market.

The first Taglit-Birthright trip for Indian Jews, with around 12 participants, took place in 2001. Since then, the numbers have grown, with as many as 40 participants in some years. In 2014, around 32 Indian Jews took part in the Taglit-Birthright trip.

Sifron Penkar, 26, from Pune, near Mumbai, told Tazpit that many things about Israel surprised him. “There’s a lot more discipline here – drivers stop at the red light,” he says. “Mumbai is a lot busier, chaotic.”

The technological and scientific advances of Israel attracted Penkar, who also said he came to check out work opportunities during the trip. He wants to work on improving his Hebrew when he returns to India through “self-study.”

For others, like 18-year-old Steffi Elias, who studies fashion design in India, the trip to Israel was a significant spiritual experience. “The Wailing Wall had a huge spiritual impact on me,” she said. “I would love to come back here in the future but we will see where time takes me,” she told Tazpit. “I’m too young to decide where my future will be now.”

About the Author:Anav Silverman is a regular contributor to Tazpit News Agency.

Mt. Herzl-The tombs of the leaders of the nation such Herzl, Rabin and more are

adjacent to the military cemetery where soldiers from all of Israel's wars are buried;

together they tell the story of the struggle for independence of the Israeli state

Jewish Quarter-Explore the streets and alleyways of the Jewish Quarter in the Old

City as they tell the stories of Jewish history past and present.

Summary session of the trip and saying good bye to your Israelis

Eilanit & Sharon

Day 10.... Eilanit

I better start wrinting abt this from the time we came to hotel from the ben yehuda street night out. Because this was the start of the last day of our trip and the end of the last night. Everybody just wanted to spend this last night with as much fun together as possible.

After hardly getting some 2 or 3 hours of sleep we had our breakfast and left for mount herzl.

Mount herzl is a national and active graveyard. First thing we saw was the grave of Herzl, the jewish state visionary. From their we saw the graves of yitzhak rabin,golda meir,hannah shemesh and so on. The graves of the leaders were in black basalt and that of soldiers in white. Apart from that we saw the memorial monuments of the heros whose body was not found,which included the memorial of the 69 soldiers who died in the dakar submarine. The final point was the the place where the recent terrorism victims were buried. Hearing the stories of penina and doron abt their loved ones over there got us into tears as we left mount herzl.

The next stop was the jewish quaters at the old city of Jerusalem. First we had our lunch and then roamed in the city for stuff to buy.

We performed on the bamba as a part of the flashmob wherein we were later joined in by the audience. Moving to the last stop we witnessed the tomb of king david where sharon was given the army cap by the soldiers for being the favourite amongst them. This being the last destination of the tour we headed to the jewish agency for a closing session by green more.

At the jewish agency we each shared our experiences for the last time getting emotional that thr trip is just about to end. Some of our experiences were interviewed and feedback was taken out as we headed finally to the airport for a final goodbye.

We never really understood how these 10 days passed by. But one thing is for sure that we are parting now to meet further in life as friends who did not know each other before the trip but now are the most special people to us.

Summer in India is always the worst and this year mumbai reached to this unbearable point. But still this was my best summer I had. Taglit made it all possible. Thanks to our madrich, we all had an opportunity to share our experiences of a day with everyone.

I had the privilege to share my experience about the 7th day on our trip. We started the day by checking out of our tel aviv hotel by 9.30 . Leaving tel aviv was a bit sad because it is an wonderful place. its the heart of Israel. We started the day with visiting the Yitzchak Rabin center. It was great to be acquainted with the Israeli history and brave story of Yitzchak Rabin.

We then moved on to streets of Jaffa. jaffa takes you back in history. We stopped for lunch at jaffa and also looked around the market. Market of jaffa reminds you of chor bazaar of India.

Later moved on to Yaniv's house in Ramle. His amazing family welcomed us with lots of love and Indian food. It was quite overwhelming as we craved for indian food all day long.

After meeting this wonderful family we completed our journey by reaching Jerusalem and checking in Caesar Hotel.Jerusalem has its own amazing aura that leaves you peaceful and spiritual. It was the last stop of the trip but definitely the best.I am obliged and thankful of taglit for giving me this wonderful opportunity and beautiful experience.

Sharon

Today we got to wake up a little late than always. Then we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel which included various kinds of cheese and other things. Then we had the opportunity to go visit the Yitzhak Rabin center and got to know about the great and loved prime minister of Israel and the sad story of how he was assassinated. Then we we also had to try one of the Israeli delicacy the shakshuka which was absolutely delicious. Later on we went to to Yanivs house for having some simple Indian food. It was amazing that even a simple Indian meal such as Chavli rice and gravy in another country would make us so happy. Then we took pics with his family and left for Jerusalem!!! When we reached we had a small tour around the neighborhood and then checked into hotel Caesar. We had a lovely dinner and rested for the next fun filled day!!

Day 10th

Everyone say the same thing 'Going to Israel changed my life'. I never understood or believed this statement. However it only took stepping off the airplane in Israel for me to realise that this vacation would change my life.

As we entered our 10th day in Israel I realised that traveling to Israel can be loosely called a vacation. It falls more under the category of a trip or a experience. There are no relaxing days on the beach, no full days of shopping, and no time for cellphones or computers. Yet you will learn as much as in your entire life. Our job was to sit back and learn as our guide took us around the small country, teaching us everything we wanted to know.

All of us didn't want to believe that it is the last day of our trip. We started our day with our 1st site, Mount Herzel - where we saw the graves of the heroes of Israel, from the Presidents to the soldiers. Seeing the graves of the young soldiers is heart breaking site. Doron our Madrich and Pennina shared their heartfelt stories in the army.

We proceeded to our next destination the Jewish quarters in the old city of Jerusalem, followed by lunch and lots of shopping in the local market. Our group performed a on spot flash mob where we were joined in by the locals and tourists, with screams of India at the end.

Moving ahead to our last destination of our 10 day trip, we visited the tomb of King David and prayed for his blessings. At the same time I was presented by a military hat by the soldiers as a heartfelt gift.

Later we proceeded to the Jewish agency for the final words. Everyone shared their experience and most of us in tears. We couldn't believe it was the end of the fantastic 10 days. We all parted at the airport to our own destinations.

Even though Israel is halfway around the world, it feels like home. I've never had a stronger connection to any place in my life. My visit to Israel made me proud to be a Jew. I promised myself that I wouldn't let anything stop me from coming home to Israel again.

Pinhas &Siyon

EDDNA & DORON

"Doron You have truly given us wonderful trip thank you for the excellent job that you did while guiding our tour through Israel .I appreciate the care you have taken with each and everyone of us.Doron Moshe my brother your are Ek Number "Eddna.

Pinha our Group Security Soldier and my Roommate

Flight departure at 14th June 2015 9:20 PM

End of our 10Days Tour

Special Thanks to Oren Benjamin for Gifting Zohar to us And our Families in India

My Moments My Experience As We arrived in Israel for Taglit "Discover Israel " having most of them never been in the country before. I had this unique experience of seeing Israel for the first time from the eyes of 'Taglit", I take this opportunity to share what I’ve learned with others .” Seeing Israel through taglit 's eyes was an interesting and educational experience. I saw the Kotel for the first time, I felt one of those inspiring moments. My home the Jewish homeland. There was something throughout the trip that touched each person emotionally and spiritually." To describe this journey in one word :Amazing !!!

A few nights ago I was sitting talking to my room mate our Security Soildier friend Phina about my Taglit Visit how sudden this and I was not expecting this trip at all and when you are least expecting things come as surprise and how it is the culmination of the tremendous journey I have been on .

With Yaniv Wakrulkar's Family Granny and Mother Grace They welcomed us into their home and showed us the greatest hospitality .The Indian food Chowli Kanji ( gravy )& brinjal Gravy with steam Rice , mango pickle Poha Chivda ,Jilebis and bundi ladoos, Farsan , fruit and drinks covered the table when we walked in, I spoke to Grace about her family , relationships with Israel and Bene Jews, how she feel living here , and her hobbies and passion for homemade indian masala (spice )which was stored in the huge Fridge ....totally amazed ...The conversation was nuanced, respectful, and meaningful and emphasized our ability to share so much with each other. It is these types of personal experiences which give me hope and energy. No words can describe how incredible this feels such an extraordinary experience . The places you go, the people you meet so much to learn from them .

I’ve always been a strong advocate for immersive learning environments – it’s the field in which I am most excited about working in – I have no doubt that these bonds we created will serve us all well as we continue professionally in promoting Jewish education. I' m glad not because I am back in the US but because I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to participate in this program. I feel charged by my new appreciation of Israel and excited to begin professionally career armed with the new knowledge I gained on Taglit .

Taglit was filled with challenges and transformation.I was introduced to many new ideas and concepts.The itinerary that was prepared for us was exemplary. Doron Moshe was excellent and attended to our every need. I was impressed with the content of the program. I look forward to working with Israel Experience programs again next year.” I don’t think I could have asked for much more from ORT. I feel extremely grateful that I have been given this opportunity and Thank You once again to the entire ORT Committee .

A special mention must be made of our tour observant Myer Moses who just did not keep observing the situation but also stood by as Big Brother to took those tough decisions and manage situations.Thank you Myer Moses

I Managed this program on a day to day bases. I had a great time with You guys I feel a strong sense of pride, happiness and sadness all at the same time. Not only have I learned about the Israel food and places but also you 22 participants (kids) i must say you were well mannered , well behaved and very supportive ,I know I have my stict nagging bossy voice but I want to let you know that I have raised a child just like you and if you have heard the saying "Teenager are more likely to succeed if they have pushy mothers" i appriciate You followed and obeyed . "You all were Awsome 22" I want to thank you all for all those group selfies I asked for again n again every time and every where as to keep those memory alive for us to cherish lifetime I want to thank you for keeping your promise for not drinking and smoking during the these 10days .The last two days were very upsetting for me caused I felt I lost my connection with you all , but the most important to me is "If you want to be Happy Let go of what's gone Be Grateful for what remains and Look forward to what is Coming .... "

Wish you all the very best in your future and God Bless

Yours Madrich Eddna Samuel

To ORT Committee & Staff Team Only one thing left to say from our group: Thank you!”